Another Cop “Fears For His Life,” Another Black Man Dies

By
Phillip Smith, AlterNet
on March 16, 2015

A 37-year-old black Maryland man was shot and killed Wednesday by a Cecil County sheriff’s deputy after being pulled over with a load of heroin. According to police, Terry Garnett, Jr. was attempting to flee the traffic stop when his vehicle approached the deputy, and “fearing for his life,” the deputy opened fire.

Citing law enforcement sources, The Cecil Daily News reported that the unidentified deputy attempted to pull over Garnett’s SUV early Wednesday afternoon, but Garnett refused to stop and turned onto a street that turned out to be a dead end.

“At some point during the incident, the vehicle turned around and accelerated toward the sheriff’s deputy,” Maryland State Police Sgt. Marc Black said. “Fearing for his life, the deputy pulled his department-issued .40-caliber Glock pistol and shot multiple times at the vehicle.”

The SUV continued down the road after the deputy opened fire before running through the backyard of a residence and stopping after striking a tree. Cecil County EMS personnel pronounced Garnett dead at the scene.

Police did not say why the deputy tried to pull Garnett over, but when they searched his car afterwards, they found “a large amount of heroin,” according to The Wilmington News-Journal.
said. “Because you don’t have to shoot somebody to stop them if they’re not shooting at you. That’s the way I see it.”